PEOPLE OF NEVESINJE HAVE THROUGHOUT HISTORY SHOWN DETERMINATION TO PRESERVE THEIR FAITH, IDENTITY AND HOMELAND

NEVESINJE, NOVEMBER 8 /SRNA/ - The people of Nevesinje have throughout history shown determination to preserve their faith, identity, and homeland, as they did in the two Mitrovdan Battles during the past war, when they defended this part of Herzegovina and Republika Srpska.

This was highlighted today in Nevesinje, where Mitrovdan /St. Demetrius Day/ is being marked as the Municipal Day.

Following the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Church of the Ascension of the Lord by Metropolitan Dimitrije of Zahumlje and Herzegovina and the Littoral, priest Vasilije Tomić said in his sermon that the heroism of the Mitrovdan fighters should serve as an example for future generations.

He stressed that preserving spiritual and family values, nurturing unity and remaining devoted to the Church are particularly important today.

"The time has come for us to renew our nation, to have children and to put into practice the wisdom of 'stroking the snake while pulling ourselves out from underneath it'. You should carry your renowned heroism over into the spiritual realm," Father Vasilije said.

He called on the faithful to turn to faith and prayer, warning of the challenges of modern times and the need to pass on to younger generations the values that sustained their ancestors.

Nevesinje is marking Municipal Day today, along with the patron saint's day of the Republika Srpska Veterans' Organization and the Day of Remembrance for the Mitrovdan Battles in 1992 and 1994.

Those attending the commemorations include Republika Srpska Minister of Labor, War Veterans' and Disabled Persons' Protection Radan Ostojić, envoy of the Serb member of the BiH Presidency Boško Tomić, mayors of Nevesinje and Istočni Mostar Milenko Avdalović and Božo Sjeran, and Trebinje City Assembly Speaker Zdravko Butulija.

Also attending are members of the Republika Srpska National Assembly, Maksim Skoko and Ognjen Kuljić, representatives of the Consular Office of the Republic of Serbia in Trebinje, and numerous other officials.

The Mitrovdan commemorations will continue at the Monument to Freedom, where a memorial service will be held for the fallen soldiers, followed by the laying of wreaths and flowers by delegations.

A wreath will also be laid at the monument to Novica Gušić, the legendary commander of the Nevesinje Brigade. The program also includes a visit to the Memorial Room and a tribute to the fallen Serb fighters.

The formal Mitrovdan Academy at the Nebojša Glogovac Cultural Centre will begin at noon.

The First Mitrovdan Battle began at dawn on Mitrovdan /St. Demetrius day/. It was one of the largest battles of the Defensive-Patriotic War, in which 3,500 members of the Nevesinje Brigade defeated an enemy force five times their number.

In the 1992 Mitrovdan Battle, 41 members of the Republika Srpska Army /RSA/ and one civilian were killed, while around 750 fighters were wounded, some seriously and others less severely.

The battles lasted seven days and seven nights, during which Serb fighters held their defensive line.

In the Second Mitrovdan Battle, which began on November 9, 1994, members of the so-called Army of BiH infiltrated Serb-held territory in a diversionary operation and launched attacks from the rear.

A total of 26 members of the Republika Srpska Army were killed, four of them after being captured, while around 140 fighters were wounded. Nevertheless, the Nevesinje Brigade managed to repel the attacks and prevent Nevesinje from falling into enemy hands.